NOVEMBER 15, 2023

(General Motors)

General Motors has announced that it has formally registered with the FIA as a Formula 1 power unit manufacturer starting in the 2028 season. “We are thrilled that our new Andretti Cadillac F1 entry will be powered by a GM power unit,” said GM President Mark Reuss. “With our deep engineering and racing expertise, we’re confident we’ll develop a successful power unit for the series, and position Andretti Cadillac as a true works team. We will run with the very best, at the highest levels, with passion and integrity that will help elevate the sport for race fans around the world.” Last month, the FIA approved Andretti’s Expression of Interest application for Andretti Cadillac to race in the FIA Formula One World Championship. GM’s development and testing of prototype technology is already underway. "Engineering an F1 power unit will advance GM’s expertise in areas including electrification, hybrid technology, sustainable fuels, high efficiency internal combustion engines, advanced controls and software systems," according to GM PR minions.

(MotoGP.com)

Franceso Baghaia vs Jorge Martin: It’s official. The fight for the 2023 FIM MotoGP™ World Championship is now a duel, and it’s a duel split by just 14 points as we head into the final two race weekends. It was also an early race duel at Sepang as the two went toe-to-toe in the fight for the podium, with Bagnaia (No. 1 Ducati Lenovo Team) defending with everything he had against now his sole challenger, Martin (No. 89 Prima Pramac Racing). But that was the fight for third! Up ahead, Enea Bastianini’s (No. 23 Ducati Lenovo Team) fantastic return to form continued as he moved through to the lead, set some absolutely searing pace, and wasn’t to be seen again. Alex Marquez (No. 73 Gresini Racing MotoGP™) kept him honest enough, however, following up his Sprint win with another Grand Prix podium. Watch the Extended Race Highlights from Motorsports on NBC here. (Thank you to MotoGP.com)

(WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca)

John Von Neumann (No. 11 Ferrari TR) starts from the pole against Carroll Shelby (No. 98 Maserati 450S), while eventual race winner Pete Lovely (No. 125 Ferrari TR 2.0-liter) sits in third for the start of the Laguna Seca's inaugural race, November 9, 1957. Note how close spectators are to the race track. Once all the property rights were retained, it was September when plans could be finalized for a November 9th race weekend. Incredibly, the 9-turn road course was created in just 60 days at a cost of $125,000, just in time for its inaugural race on Nov. 9 and 10, 1957. Wallace Holm, a young Salinas architect, was site development chair and explained the track design by literally drawing a rough diagram in the dirt, then staked the course and the bulldozers went to work. One of the most famous, one-of-a-kind turns in all of motorsports – the Corkscrew – sits atop the circuit like a crown. As the story goes, the construction foreman drove up the hill and informed the bulldozer driver he was going to lunch. When asked what the plan was for the next phase of the track, the foreman said just get down the hill any way you can. Thus, the hard-left, hard-right combination known throughout motorsports was created. The first race program included some cautionary advice for visitors, such as: “Stay away from the hay bales. They were put there because experts felt that was where a car going wild would hit. Don’t try to prove the experts wrong the hard way,” and “Don’t try to cross the track. At least, you are exposing yourself to arrest. And you may be tempting a quick and painful and final end to your day’s spectating.”  (Thank you to WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca)

Editor's Note: You can access previous issues of AE by clicking on "Next 1 Entries" below. - WG